Time to get women in on the All-Star Game
Skills Competition entries were fun, but top female players deserve an equal shot at the spotlight
SAN JOSE — Here’s an idea for how to fix the All-Star Game: make it more inclusive.
Invite the women. Not just to be demonstrators or to participate at the Skills Competition. But have them play in the actual game.
After all, they clearly have the skill to play with the men. That much was made clear after watching Kendall Coyne Schofield beat Arizona’s Clayton Keller in the fastest skater competition, followed by Brianna Decker posting one of the best times in the premier passing competition.
“My first impression was, ‘I can do this,’” said Coyne Schofield. “Speed is my strength. I was a little nervous, but I knew it was a moment that was going to break a lot of barriers and would change the perception and show support to our game.”
Think it was inspiring for women to see Coyne Schofield and Decker hold their own against the best male players in the world? Imagine the reaction if they were also on the ice with the all-stars on Saturday, receiving passes from Connor McDavid or trying to defend against Nikita Kucherov on a one-on-one.
We’re not suggesting that the women compete directly against the men. But there’s no reason why they shouldn’t compete alongside them — especially if players like Alex Ovechkin and Carey Price have no desire to attend the event.
Invite 12 of the best women from the CWHL and NWHL, placing three on each team. You could have a 3-on-3 line of women against women or a sort of mixed line of two men and one woman. Either way, you get the best of the best on the ice at the same time.
SID SHINES BRIGHTEST
Sidney Crosby now has one more reason to have good memories of the Shark Tank.
Crosby had two goals and three assists to win the AllStar MVP, and Henrik Lundqvist pitched a first-half shutout to lead the Metropolitan Division to a 10-5 victory over the Central Division in the championship round of the NHL All-Star Game on Saturday night.
Crosby finished the night with four goals and four assists in two games on the same ice where he won the Conn Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup three years ago for Pittsburgh.
“I have some great memories here for sure,” he said. “It’s always been a tough place to play. Obviously, when you win in a rink and have those memories, it’s something you think about every time you go there. Being in that dressing room, it’s automatic to bring you back to some of those moments.”
GIBSON GETS BOOED
All dynasties eventually come to an end.
The Pacific Division had reached the final in the 3-on-3 tournament in consecutive years since the All-Star Game changed its format in 2016 — winning the entire thing twice — but could not get past the Central Division this time around. And it wasn’t difficult to realize why.
Anaheim’s John Gibson allowed seven goals on nine shots in a 10-4 loss.
“We left him out to dry,” said defenceman Drew Doughty. “We’re usually on the other side of that, so it’s a different feeling this year.”
Gibson’s poor play elicited boos from Sharks fans. Not that Gibson seemed to mind.
“It’s a shame we weren’t able to get the San Jose guys further,” he said. “But it’s all in good fun.”
3-ON-3 STILL THRILLS
What was going through Marc-Andre Fleury’s head as puck after puck kept going past Gibson?
“I was a little happy to be on the bench at that time,” the Vegas goalie laughed. “You want to do well, but you’re also facing very talented players. I don’t know how many breakaways or backdoor passes they had, but it’s not easy to make the stops all the time.”
Indeed, it’s not easy being a goalie at an All-Star Game, especially when it’s 3-on-3 with no checking. That doesn’t mean Fleury wants to change the current format.
“I think it’s fun to watch,” he said.
PETTERSSON LOOKING FORWARD TO PLAYOFFS
With the All-Star Game in the books, the focus for Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson now turns to the stretch drive to the playoffs. The Canucks are in a three-way tie with Dallas and Colorado for the final wild card spots in the West, though they played more games.
“Everybody on the team knows we have a good chance,” said Pettersson. “Everybody
We are a strong group and we believe in each other and that we can do it.” Elias Pettersson
feels like we can compete against the best. It may not be the team that has all the top players, but we are a strong group and we believe in each other and that we can do it.”